"The rules of this region shouldn't support physical forms, but some entity has introduced new possibilities here."
"So now, there's only one question."
Emperor Zhent watched Shane struggle where he stood, a faint, ambiguous smile on his face.
"I'm not particularly interested in taking over your existence, but how are you going to convince me to help you?"
Shane said nothing. Less than half his body remained uncovered by shadow, which meant he could no longer freely control most of it, including the parts he needed to answer Monarch's question.
Seeing this, Monarch shook his head and was just about to turn away.
Rachel and Raven, who had been sheltering in the Shadow Dimension all this time, were forcibly expelled as the shadows occupied every available space within Shane's body.
Monarch stopped.
He stared incredulously at the two "Rachels," one older and one younger, who flew out of Shane's body. His normally composed expression began to crumble.
"Two... why are there two?"
Injustice Raven shot Rachel a look that asked, "Who's this?" Rachel herself reacted swiftly, appealing to Monarch for help.
"I'm guessing you won't just let him die?" Emperor Zhent's expression froze for an instant, but in the end, he shook his head.
"Considering you're not actually the woman I knew, I suppose I should address you as Miss Rachel."
"Unfortunately, I've lived for over eight thousand years. To me, my past in the real world is merely a tiny, fleeting portion of my life, and you only occupied a few hundred years of it. I've learned to let go of far too much. Now that I've returned to reality, perhaps all I want is to enjoy a few material comforts..."
Shane, now almost completely controlled, lunged at the older and younger Ravens.
Before Emperor Zhent had even finished